– And you? – Azores asked.
– Now – the semi-laboratory assistant-semi-watchman – with a sad smile answered Carat.
– You were well familiar with Blasco Jurgues?
– Whether well I was familiar! – the Carat exclaimed, and his red eyelashes began to blink. – I was the closest assistant to Hurges. Hurges! This is the great inventor. Great mind, great heart! Here in this room, we worked for this table with it twelve years. Many nights are a lot of days and ….
Azores would not be a skilled correspondent if did not try to find out everything that concerned Hurges at Cara. The carat willingly answered, and Azores learned more, than expected.
Hurges’s father, Solomon Hurges, was the Polish Jew. In due time he emigrated to the United States, but there he was not lucky, and he moved to South America. Exactly here, in Buenos Aires, it had a workshop on car repairs, bicycles, motorcycles. Zhuan Hurges helped the father and when the father died, got a job on the big plant and there joined in revolutionary fight. To his elder brother, Blasco Jurgues, it was succeeded to get the higher technical education, and he worked in research laboratory of the electric company which was branch of New York. It was very much appreciated. He gave to firm many remarkable inventions, introduced economic lamps and when production of radio receivers was arranged, designed very successful type of the amateur heterodyne radio receiver.
– But he did not sell the soul to firm – significantly said Carat.
– What do you want to tell these? Hurges was a communist?
– He thought as the communist – the Carat answered. – That’s all what I can tell. He lived in peace and friendship with the brother. Once at me Blasco told Zhuan: “We go towards one aim, but in the different ways, and, probably, to us more favorable more rare to see with each other that yours “revolutionary popularity” did not predict suspicions and on me, for “our revolutionary work” – and he pointed to me. Yes, on me – with pride repeated Carat. – Because we worked together, we had no secrets.
– And what it for “revolutionary work”?
– Revolution in science and technology which is designed to serve revolution proletarian – the Carat answered. – We are inventors. By itself, Blasco invented, and I helped him. Ah, it had originally Edisonova the head! Since the October revolution of Blasco lived a thought of the Country of Councils. He worked for it and dreamed to arrive there not empty-handed. Oh, he prepared a rich gift! And here, when… Ah, Blasco, Blasco!. Such careful even in trifles and… Why you did not listen to me?. – Red eyelids with red eyelashes began to tremble again, began to blink as if the Carat was going to begin to cry.
Azores guessed that here the great secret is covered.
– And what the invention on which you worked is?
– This invention … – Eyes Cara flashed inspiration fire, however it extinguished this fire, quickly approached to the door, slightly opened it, looked out in an empty corridor and, having left a door half-open – approach of steps is so more heard – came back to the place, sat down near Azores and whispered: – Wisdom stone. – The carat held breath and silently burst out laughing.
“Whether this odd fellow went crazy?” – Azores thought. But that continued:
– Yes, philosophers’ stone. Dream of alchemists of transformation of elements. And in a most up-to-date way – a shell for splitting of an atomic nucleus. Revolution! A new era in chemistry, in the history of mankind!
In hobby he splashed dry handles and grinned. Azores started back to a back of a chair and silently watched several seconds on Cara.
– Yes, yes, yes – ardently whispered Carat, maintaining Azores’s look. – Not a dream, not a problem, not a hypothesis, but fact. Here, here on this table, we finished the last experiences. Here, on this place, there was a device – latest “gun” for bombing of an atomic nucleus. And what she created! What miracles of transformation of things were done by it before our eyes!
– And where this device? – Azores asked, feeling that at him the back grows cold and goosebumps on a body run.
– Anywhere. – The carat heaved a deep sigh. – Such things could not be taken with themselves. It is safer to carry them in the head. But unless the head cannot be ruined on the way? Hurges had big money and almost them spent everything for researches. And on the last bought the ticket for the best, appear, safest steamship – the steamship of billionaires as he was called in both America – “Leviathan”. But there is no such ship which could not sink… Hurges took all precautionary measures. The calculations, formulas, calculations – in a word, it made all “extract” of the most famous opening in duplicate: one – on paper, it was stored at it in a wide belt…
– And the second? In a metal box? – with impatience Azores asked.
– Hurges was more provident. What is a box? The steamship can sink at a huge depth, and then pressure of water will flatten out a box and papers will die. No, Hurges arrived differently. He engraved all figures, formulas, schemes and short explanations on thin metal plates, put plates and them soldered edges. It is thought perfectly up! – The carat chilly burst out laughing. – If such “portfolio” sank even on ten thousand meters of depth, all the same nothing would happen to it.
Unfortunate Blasco! Means, you died… Till today I still had hopes – already by other tone continued Carat after a pause. – Now this hope is absent any more. Mistake, bitter mistake!
– But in what its mistake? – Azores asked.
– And that it did not leave me the copy.
– Unless you without it are not able to build “gun”?
The person the Penalty expressed suffering.
– What is I? – the Carat moaned. – I was only Blasco’s hands, and Blasco very much praised these hands. – The carat looked at the hands overgrown with red hair. – Well, let us assume, I saw how the device was under construction, did it by the hands. But… You do not know what is a difficult thing! On formulas and schemes I could make, and formulas lie at an ocean floor now… Did not want to leave the copy, here and a mistake. Naturally, it was dangerous. Zhuan sits here… Salted pork fats could become interested also in his brother, at least and the dead, could glance here…
– However what was written by Hurges in the encoded letter?
– Now we will read. Though I beforehand, almost for certain, can tell that he wrote.
The carat rose, opened a big case and from a heap of any electrotechnical materials and old details took out a thin aluminum plate of the same format, as well as the letter. On a plate quadrangular openings by size about a typewriter letter were cut out in different places. The carat imposed a plate on the letter and read:
– “In case of my death inform S3R”.
– What does it designate? – Azores asked.
– Dear Blasco! I recognize you. Even in the code you resorted to a formula – with soft grief said Carat as if talking to the late friend. Addressing Azores, he asked: – Unless you do not guess? Эс – three – Ayr. It is the USSR. To report to the government of the USSR that in the depth of the Atlantic Ocean the treasure intended for the Soviet Union is stored. But whether the ocean will give the secret now? – asked Carat, addressing Azores. – If I am not mistaken, “Leviathan” sank somewhere about the Azores. Blasco Jurgues’s “portfolio” lies at a depth of two-three thousand meters. Unless it is possible to go down on such depth? However, to find “portfolio”, it is not necessary to lift the steamship. Blasco was provident – I already spoke about it. It was going to attach a plate to an anchor chain. And nevertheless it facilitates a task a little. The diver cannot fall more deeply than by three hundred meters, and I am afraid that Jurgues’s secret died forever.
– Well, still early to determine it – Azores answered. – I, in any case, will execute the last will of the great scientist also I will inform the Soviet government on everything that I know. Let decide what to do. I thank you, Mr. Kar…
– Companion Kar – with soft reproach corrected Azores Kar.
– Companion Kar… I thank you, and allow to say goodbye.
– No, wait – the Carat vividly objected. – You guess as this business is expensive to me. And then… I can be and is useful. I would like that you, companion Azores, informed me of the future of this business.
– To inform – it is hard – laughing, Azores answered. – You, of course, understand that it is impossible to write about such things.
– Why to write?! It is possible to arrive differently. We will speak. And to say so that any person will not understand us. – The carat laughed again. – It also one of the latest discoveries of Hurges. Not such important, as “gun”, but nevertheless interesting. He presented it to me before departure. Short-wave radio station. For it energy in the tenth shares of watt – less, than is necessary for the battery of a pocket electric small lamp. The antenna – five centimeters, range of action is unlimited. The main thing – the sharp orientation guarantees the mystery of transfers. This device watches the direction of a beam. The smallest deviations are registered and immediately automatically are eliminated. How it is pleasant to you? – The carat laughed again and rubbed hands. – I will give you one reception and transfer radio station. Or not… I will give you the scheme and some explanations on two pages of the notebook. In the USSR, of course, there are skilled radio operators?
– Certainly.
– And so, we will talk. I hand you the gift. – The carat took out paper from a desk, quickly outlined the scheme, explanations to it and all this transferred Azoresa.
– And so, we will talk and even… to see if we want. Yes, yes, on TV. At noon local time I will catch a wave. Good-bye.
They left friends.
Azores almost ran on the sidewalk, without feeling under himself legs. It was captured by rough joy. He did not see either empty shops, or the overturned cars and trams. That to it to these pictures of the dying Old World! It is rather in hotel and from there – to the port.
THE DESTINY OF THE EXPEDITION IS DECIDED
In Moscow Azores reported all on the special commission. Experts were invited to a meeting.
– Your opinion? – the chairman addressed the academician Toffel.
The gray-haired, high, full, ruddy academician rose and quietly said:
– The persistent attack, more precisely – the correct siege, strongholds of an atomic nucleus is around the world conducted. People work, without feeling sorry for work, means, energy, and it is clear why. If it is possible to ride out atomic energy, then consequences will be extraordinary. We cannot even present now what will become the world when in our hands there is this originally space force. Since when people began to invent, any invention, any opening – neither steam, nor electricity, nor radio – nothing can be compared to it. Atomic engines will make a full revolution in the equipment, in life. We will become immeasurably stronger and richer. To take at least our uniform high-voltage network. It cost us billions, and its operation costs millions, tens of millions. Wires, support, cables, expensive, bulky dynamo cars, turbines – all this will become unnecessary or almost unnecessary. We will preserve our fuel: coal, oil, wood. They will not be fuel any more. They will be only initial raw materials for chemical processing in high-valuable products. Wood will go only for manufacture of paper, piece silk, sugar and other products and goods. Only one this rescue of coal, oil, the wood from barbarous destruction in fire chambers promises billion savings.
Concerning the most atomic energy needless to say. The fact that it can bring does not give in to calculation. Why we lay our electrohighways on one thousand kilometers now? To transfer energy there where it is absent. Coal, oil, the wood, water – modern power sources – are not always available where there are an ore and other minerals. Atomic energy and atomic engines will give unlimited resources of energy where it is necessary, without any efforts, without bulky constructions. In the tundra and a taiga, in mountains and deserts – everywhere we will be able to have pocket Dneprogesa.
Entirely transport will change. Insatiable engines will disappear. There will be new types of the high-speed land, air and water transport. Even flights to planets will become a reality. Barriers and to construction works will disappear. We will be able to cover with channels all country. We will move literally mountains. The thought, the creative imagination of the modern builder were still connected by “a power limit”. Now many of projects just do not occur to us because energy expenses, excessive for us, are necessary for their performance. Freedom of technical dreams will become original. The person will be a sovereign keeper of the nature.
Whether it is possible to determine the monetary cost of this invention? I find it difficult to give numbers. It should estimate not in billions any more, and in trillions. If the slightest opportunity to seize the similar invention, then any expenses is represented at least, they are as if big were, will pay off in unprecedented sizes.
The academician made a pause and continued:
– But all this under one condition: if Hurges’s device is suitable for obtaining not too expensive intratomic energy. Ourselves learned to destroy an atomic nucleus and if did not design the skilled atomic engine, then only because it is premature. And it is premature because getting of atomic energy costs still immeasurably much. For atom splitting we use high and ultrahigh tension in millions of volts. And the result of this expensive attack, unfortunately, is too small. Our “shells” badly hit the mark. From one thousand shots one hit.
Companion Azores told us that there is witness, the employee Hurgesa companion Kar who confirms the fact that Hurges successfully destroyed atomic kernels. But the description of great opening lies at the bottom of the sea so far. I do not allow a mystification. However who will be charged what Hurges and Kar not from breed of schemers? Unless alchemists were not sure that they “almost” opened a secret of transformation of ignoble metals into gold?
– Your conclusion? – the chairman asked.
– My conclusion: to look for Hurges’s tables if it is technically feasible and if costs of searches in power to our state.
– Sorry, the academician – asked a question the elderly economist – and atom splitting, so to speak, in factory scale, will not cause…
– World accident? – Toffel asked. – I do not think. As I already told, atoms split now nearly daily. And anything, world целехонек. I had to hear similar fears more than once. I believe that they are superficial.
– Your opinion, professor Reynberg?
The low, tidy old man – a small beard klinyshky, long gray-haired moustaches – easily rose, abruptly turned to Toffel, then to the chairman and peas scattered words:
– First of all I have to note one sad misunderstanding. Here it was told about getting of internal energy when splitting an atomic nucleus. When romantic fantasts write about similar things, it is still admissible, but when with the idea of production of inexhaustible intratomic energy the scientist acts, I as the power engineering specialist, I protest. It is extremely deep, sad and even harmful mistake. When splitting an atomic nucleus we will not have any internal energy while exists and will not disprove the second law of thermodynamics.